Solar Survey Day on a Dairy Farm: What KMM Actually Does On Site

The 29-second video that explains a survey day

KMM's surveyors are field-based. A typical day during the spring quoting season involves three or four farm visits, often across different counties. This video — KMM's third-most-watched at 1,300+ views — shows what a dairy farm survey actually looks like.

What KMM measures during a dairy farm survey

A typical dairy farm survey takes around 90 minutes on site and captures the following data:

• Roof geometry — drone capture of every available roof surface; 3D model with pitch angles, surface area, vent and ridgeline obstructions
• Ground-mount opportunity — adjacent paddocks, hardstanding, marginal land suitable for sheep-grazed ground-mount
• Existing electrical incomer — supply rating (typical UK farm is 100 A or 200 A single-phase, 100-300 A three-phase for larger ops)
• Half-hourly meter — if HH-metered, we pull 12 months of data; if not, we install a temporary clamp meter
• Parlour cycle pattern — milking times, refrigeration on/off pattern, ventilation runtime
• Diesel usage — generators, grain dryer (if mixed arable), irrigation pumps — for battery-displacement modelling
• Building condition — roof material, age, fixing detail, asbestos check on older sheds (1960s-70s buildings)
• DNO context — local 11kV network capacity, distance to nearest substation, voltage rise risk

What KMM asks the farmer

Beyond the physical survey, the farmer-facing conversation is structured around five questions:

1. What are your operations across the year? Some farms have a steady weekly profile, others spike heavily around lambing, harvest, or calving.
2. What are your retail customers' net-zero requirements? If you supply a major UK retailer (Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S, Waitrose), they likely want documented Scope 2 reductions. Solar PV is the cheapest way to provide them.
3. How is the farm structured? Sole trader, partnership, limited company, mixed family arrangement — each has different tax implications for capital allowances such as AIA.
4. What's your planning history? If you've had ground-mount or wind applications refused, that affects the planning route we'll recommend.
5. What's your timeline? Most farm decisions are seasonal — winter for planning, spring for install, harvest blackout, autumn for commissioning.

What the survey delivers (free, no obligation)

Within 48-72 hours of the survey, the farmer receives:

• 3D roof model with proposed panel layout
• Shading study modelled across every hour of the year (Helios 3D)
• System size and capex range (typically two options — a smaller "safe" size and a larger "max-out" size)
• ROI cash model with all four assumptions disclosed (self-consumption, tariff, inflation, tax position)
• Finance routes side-by-side: CAPEX, asset finance/lease, PPA, Salix (if public sector applicable)
• Grant eligibility check (Lincolnshire RBG, D2N2, Notts Net Zero, etc.)
• DNO desktop check on grid capacity

What the survey doesn't deliver

Three things that come later:

• The G99 application — submitted after contract signature
• The structural engineer's report — commissioned only if the roof is borderline on imposed-load capacity
• The planning application — required for ground-mount above 9m², commissioned post-survey if you decide to proceed

If you're a dairy farmer (or any farmer) curious what a KMM survey looks like for your site, request one — they're free, take 90 minutes, and there's no pressure to proceed at the end.